Difference between pipes

[Johnallen]

How do the pipes differ from stop to stop?

[Havoc]

That's either a very long or very short answer. I suggest you read a good book about it. Audsley might not be "the" best but it sure is very comprehensive, easy to find and in english. Very short: it all depends on the relation between length, diameter (depth/width for wooden pipes), width of the mouth, height of the cut, form of the pipe (cilindrical, opening/closing towards the top), stopped or not etc.

[m&m's]

Stephens Irwin's book "Dictionary of Organ Stops" also gives much information on this subject.

[myorgan]

How do the pipes differ from stop to stop?

Read through the Dictionary of Organ Stops. There is quite a bit of information there. One could also search the Internet too.

Michael

[Guest]

There are several basic types of pipes
1. Open pipes typically diapasons which are the dominant church organ pipes
2. Open flutes such as a melodic which have a softer more mellow sound
3. Stopped flutes such as a gedeckt which are half length and have a somewhat hollow sound
4. Strings such as salicional and other names. These pipes are thin diameter open pipes which have a much stronger harmonic development
5. Reeds such as trumpets, oboes, rohr schalmi, and many others. These pipes create the sound by a striking reed in the bottom of the pipe much like the mouth piece of a clarinet and then have a resonator which shapes the sound of the beating reed.

A classical organ will be dominated by the diapsons(about 30 percent) with the stopped flutes next. Open flutes are not popular with the neo-baroque set. There will generally be few reeds mostly of the trumpet or oboe type. The clarinet is starting to come back in style.

A theatre organ will have all the above types of pipes with the string and reeds dominating being about 50 percent on small organs.

I hope this brief description will help you navigate thru the more extensive references described above.